Many computing devices have connections to mobile networks that supply data services. Cellular telephones have evolved into “smart phones” that run applications, many of which send and receive data through a mobile data network. Concurrently, computing devices have evolved to take on form factors that make them easy for a user to carry. These computing devices also run application that send and receive data through a mobile data network.
As applications executing on mobile computing devices have gotten more powerful and more diverse, the bandwidth on mobile data networks consumed by these applications use has grown. In addition to increases in the number of mobile devices connected to mobile networks and increases in the number of applications available for execution on these mobile devices, data usage has also increased as a result of changes in the way these applications use data. Applications may now consume network bandwidth engaging in functions such as sending and receiving e-mail, streaming music or video to a mobile device or accessing data over the Internet.
In response to the growing usage of network bandwidth, mobile network operators have begun to revisit their policies for charging for network data usage. While, in prior years, it was common for unrestricted data usage to be available for a fixed monthly fee, it is now more prevalent for data networks to be metered. In metered networks charges are imposed based on usage. Though, various charging policies have been proposed.
For example, in a variable charging policy, a charge may be imposed for each unit of data transmitted or received by a mobile device. A variation of a variable charging policy may cap the total fee per month such that, once usage exceeds a threshold, additional charges are not incurred. In a fixed charging policy, a service plan may have a monthly usage cap. Usage up to the cap may be covered by the fixed price, but usage above the cap may be charged as in a variable policy. In a variation on the fixed charging policy, there may be no additional charge for usage one the cap is exceeded, but the network may throttle data transmissions above the cap such that a user who exceeds the cap may experience reduced service.